By Álvaro Peñas – The European Conservative (AINA) –
Metin Rhawi, a Swedish-Assyrian advocate and leading representative of the European Syriac Union, has spent years defending democracy, coexistence, and the rights of persecuted minorities in the Middle East. He argues that despite frequent public declarations of support, Western governments have consistently failed to meaningfully protect Christians, Assyrians, Yazidis, and other vulnerable communities.
According to Rhawi, the core reason is simple: “Much of what is said is just that—words.” In practice, Western states prioritize economic deals, energy projects, and military cooperation. Human rights become negotiable, and minorities are the first to be sacrificed. Western powers also hesitate to speak frankly about religious extremism, fearing to “offend” geopolitical partners.
Rhawi highlights a deeper contradiction: many Western conservative parties claim to defend Christians abroad but simultaneously partner with hardline Islamist groups at home and in the region. This stems from a fundamental misreading of Middle Eastern politics. Western leaders, he says, project a left–right European framework onto a region where those categories do not apply. As a result, groups perceived as “conservative allies” are often the same forces persecuting Christians. The outcome is dangerous both for Middle Eastern minorities and for Europe: “When you support forces that destroy democracy abroad, those forces ultimately influence democracy at home.”
The Collapse of Indigenous Christian Communities
Rhawi describes an unprecedented crisis across the Middle East, particularly in Syria. Ancient Christian cities—Qamishli, Hassake, Homs, Aleppo—are being emptied after more than two millennia of continuous Christian presence. Threats come from multiple actors: jihadist groups like ISIS, repressive regimes, and Turkish military operations designed to alter demographics. External powers claim to help, yet often undermine the very conditions necessary for Christian survival.
In northeastern Syria, Assyrians and other minorities established schools, security forces, and self-administrations, including teaching in their own languages. However, global powers continue treating their existence as a bargaining chip in geopolitical negotiations.
Historical Parallels: From the Ottoman Empire to Today
Rhawi draws a comparison between current persecution and Ottoman policies against Assyrians, particularly the 1915 Seyfo genocide. Although methods have changed, the logic remains: to weaken, silence, and ultimately reduce indigenous Christian populations. Confiscations, militias, displacement, and daily pressure replace the massacres of the early 20th century, but the outcome is similar.
He rejects the term “minority”: Assyrians are indigenous to the region. Their demographic decline is not natural—it is the result of targeted political choices by state and non-state actors, and by the international community’s indifference.
Rhawi’s own family history illustrates this. His grandmother witnessed her brothers’ brutal killing during the genocide. Such memories, he says, are political testimonies. “If we do not pass them on, we disappear.”
International Leaders and Empty Gestures
Regarding Western leaders meeting figures such as Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Rhawi says these gestures matter only if they come with real demands: religious freedom, rule of law, and meaningful security for minorities. Without such conditions, Christians become symbolic props while others decide their future.
He also rejects the simplistic geopolitical logic of “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” This approach has repeatedly led Western governments to empower extreme or anti-democratic factions, believing them to be strategic allies. Such choices fuel instability abroad and corrode democratic norms in Europe.
“The crisis will not remain far away,” Rhawi warns. History shows that empowering undemocratic forces overseas ultimately weakens democracy at home.
What Must the West Do?
Western states must stop declaring support for Christians (in Syria) while backing those who persecute them. Instead, they should:
- guarantee security zones for minorities;
- support local security forces that genuinely protect civilians;
- formally recognize the 1915 Seyfo genocide;
- invest in reconstruction of Christian and minority areas;
- halt all funding to extremist groups—regardless of their political label;
- and demand secular law, equality, and pluralism in all diplomatic agreements.
Most importantly, Europe must stop applying Western ideological categories to Middle Eastern politics. Alliances should be built only with actors committed to democracy and human dignity.
The fate of Middle Eastern Christians, Rhawi concludes, is inseparable from the fate of Europeans themselves: “If the world truly intends to protect the Christians of the Middle East, it must act based on principles—not economic interests. What happens to us today can happen to Europe tomorrow.”
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